Featuring Jennifer Lines as Kate and Andrew McNee as Petruchio, this season’s production is inspired by Bard’s beloved 2007 Wild West production of the play, directed by Miles Potter. The 2019 production is directed by Lois Anderson (Lysistrata, 2018; Pericles, 2016).

“Kate is our protagonist,” enthuses Anderson. “This entire play is about her journey towards identity, selfhood and finding out how she can define her life. I think it’s very important right now to tell a story of rebellion with a female protagonist. The villain in this piece is not Petruchio—he is her ally. Kate’s conflict is with a society that holds her to a certain expectation: that she will become a goodly wife and pass on a huge dowry to a man.”

For this sometimes-controversial play, Anderson has revamped the script so that some of Petruchio’s lines are spoken by Kate—a move Anderson believes honours Shakespeare’s original vision for his characters.

“When the playbill went up for The Taming of the Shrew in Elizabethan times, everyone would have thought they were going to see the comical tale of a marriage in the vein of ‘Punch and Judy’ – but Shakespeare challenged that old trope by staging a profound love story between a husband and wife,” adds Anderson. “He tells a story of two kindred spirits; two soul mates who are equally matched: mentally and physically. There is no taming in this story. We’re just watching two people encounter each other, trying to comprehend each other, while they are falling in love.”

Ticket prices include all fees & taxes and start at $26 for all regular play performances. Youth Price tickets, sponsored by Global BC, are available for patrons ages 6 to 22, at 50% off regular adult prices. Prices for special events, group bookings and multi-play ticket packages can be found online at bardonthebeach.org or by calling the Bard Box Office at 604-739-0559. Early booking is recommended for best seat selection (all seats are reserved) and because many performances sell out in advance.

Suggested Tweet: Refreshing revamp a Wild West inspired The Taming of the Shrew kicks off 30th Season of @bardonthebeach. #bard2019 https://bit.ly/2wIM0zE

Bard on the Beach gratefully acknowledges the corporate sponsors who support and sustain the Festival and its programs. 2019 sponsors include Season Sponsor Goldcorp; Production Sponsors Avison Young, Lawson Lundell, BlueShore Financial and Lonetree Cider; Season Media Sponsors The Vancouver Sun and Global BC, as well as many other valued sponsors and partners. Bard also thanks the City of Vancouver Cultural Services Department, the Vancouver Park Board, the Province of British Columbia, the BC Arts Council, and the Canada Council for the Arts for their continuing support.

About Bard on the Beach Shakespeare FestivalBard on the Beach is one of Canada’s largest not-for-profit, professional Shakespeare festivals. Established in 1990, the annual summer festival’s mission is to perform, explore and celebrate the genius of William Shakespeare, surrounded by the natural beauty of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Bard also offers year-round education and training programs for youth, adults and theatre professionals in its administrative home at the BMO Theatre Centre in Olympic Village as well as in schools and community facilities throughout the Lower Mainland of British Columbia.

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